Israel withdrew its troops from the Gaza Strip Saturday after some of the fiercest gunbattles with Palestinians in the Hamas-run territory since last year's military offensive, AP reported. Israeli troops used bulldozers to remove infrastructure used to attack soldiers before the early morning withdrawal, a military spokeswoman said. The violence began Friday when soldiers patrolling the border crossed into Gaza. Two Israeli soldiers and two Palestinians were killed in the gunbattle, the military said. Palestinian medics said one civilian was killed and seven were wounded in the fighting. Hamas, the group that rules Gaza, confirmed their gunmen were involved in Friday's violence _ marking a shift from the group's tendency over the past year to avoid confrontation with Israeli forces. -- SPA
